Westvleteren 12 (or the Westy 12 to its friends) is one of the 10 true Trappist beers and has many times been chosen as "Best Beer in the World" by Ratebeer. Like its Westvleteren 8 and Westvleteren 6 siblings, it's brewed inside the Sint Sixtus abbey in the rural Belgian town of Westvleteren by monks and is one of the rarest and most sought after beers. Apart from being widely regarded as the best beer in the world, it's also been called a "desert island beer". It's the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for so many beer geeks, a world class Belgian Trappist beer that doesn't have many peers.

Officially it's only sold by appointment from the abbey and getting an appointment is a difficult task. The maximum amount one can purchase is 2 crates (48 beers and the creates are sold at a very reasonable price considering it's scarcity.

A few years ago on Nov 4th 2011 the monks decided to "allow" the Westvleteren 12 beer to be sold commercially, to fund some necessary repair works in their abbey. In Belgium it was sold through Colruyt and in the US it was distributed by Shelton Brothers. Special packaging was created for the Westvleteren 12 - a type of box with illustration of old heavy stones on it, to reflect the reason why it was being sold (for the renovation works of the abbey). A total of 7760 of these boxes, each containing 6 bottles and two glasses were imported in to the US, where they sold out very quickly.

The Westvleteren 12 beer bottle has no labelling at all and is distinguished from the other Westvleteren beers by the colour of its cap, which is yellow (as opposed to blue or green for the other two Westvleteren beers). This beer can be easily kept for several years and some say storing Westvleteren 12 in the cellar will only improve its taste.

This is a classic Belgian "quadrupel" beer, meaning it's a strong dark ale coming in at 10.2% ABV. Descriptions that appear most in tasting notes include "plums", "dark fruit", "chocolate" and "brown sugar". It has a murky brown color with a creamy and light brown head. It's absolutely a beer with a complex and very special, balanced taste that must be tried at least once by everyone who likes having a beer.

The Westvleteren 8 is another Trappist beer, brewed by the monks at the Sint Sixtus Abbey in Westvleteren, in rural Belgium. Although it's the little brother of the Westvleteren 12, it's almost matched in cult status and also receives many rave reviews from novices and connoisseurs alike. Contrary to what a lot of people may think, it can often be more difficult to obtain Westvleteren 8 than it is its bigger brother, due to the hype and attention it gets. Everyone wants the 12 while the 8 tends to be forgotten. Some say it's even better than the twelve, although of course this is always a matter of personal taste.

The Westvleteren 8 is a strong Belgian Ale brewed with hops that are sourced locally, from the region of Poperinge. The yeast used in this beer, like with all Westvleteren beers, comes from the nearby Abbey of Westmalle. Westvleteren 8 has an 8% BV and is produced via top fermentation, then re-fermented in the bottle and is neither centrifuged, filtered nor pasteurised.

Like its siblings, Westvleteren 8 comes in a bottle without label and is distinguished from them by its blue cap. The best serving temperature is around 10 -12°C and of course tastes best in its own glass.

The Westvleteren 8 pours dark brown and cloudy. It has somewhat of a sweet after tastes with many complex fruit flavours including raisins, malt, caramel and apples. It has a very full "body" but is not as elaborate as the quadrupel. Medium to low carbonisation, and the alcohol is quite hidden.